Improvement in marine engines



N.FETERS, PNDTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

fllfiriird' rztin JOHN ERICSSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Lette/rs Patent N 106,800, dated Any/nsf 30, ,1870.

Heen- IMPROVEMENT IN MARINE ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making par?, of the same To' all whom it may concern v Be it known that I, J 011x ERIcssoN, of the city New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and improved MarineEngiue; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to th'e accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

Figure l represents an end elevation of my improved marine engine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section' of the same, the plane of section being indicated by the line :c x,.tig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corrcspomling parts.

The object of this invention is to so arrange and construct the machinery pertaining to a marine, and more particularly to a twin-'screw engine, that thc utmost degree of compactness, combined with simple mechanism, will be attained. rlhese essential requisites of a twin-screw engine have as yet not been reached. Twin-screw engines, therefore, at present, are not only too expensive, complicated, and bulky, but theyoccupy so much room that they are ditticult to control, and, conscqnently, very apt to get ont of order. By my invention these defects are' entire-ly overcome. The cylinders, steam-chests, air-pumps, and injection-engine arc all so placed, with reference to the condenser and each other, as to occupy the least possible amount of room, and still be easily reached.

My invention consists in a novel construction of valve-gear, the same being so arranged that the power is'applied by .the eccentric rods to the middle of a lever, which at its ends connects with the slide valve. The economy of power, as well as room, by this constrnction, is evident, for the motion required by the eccentrics and rods is but small, and their action propor; tionately powerful, while the stroke produced has the fnll length.' The link motion is so connected wit-h the reversing gear as not to be in the least iniincnccd by the same, otherwise than necessary for reversing.

'.lhe invention consists, also, in connecting thc crank-shaft, which is operated by the piston-rods, with the rock-shaft that operates the air-pump, so that the said rock-shaft will derive its motion direct from the main crank-shaft.

A in the drawing represents the bed-plate of my improved marine engine.

The drawing represents the parts, to which my invention relates, arranged in connectionV with a condenser, B, which is placed horizontally upon a frame,

' C, which is in turn supported by the bed-plate.

The cylinders D are secured in frames E,'which are in inclined positions, placed against the opposite sides cf thc condenser, as cle-arly shown in fig. 3.

'lhe lower ends of the frames E are supported by the bed or frame C, while their upper parts lean against the condenser.

lhc number of steam-cylinders I) can be varied at will. .lwo are shown on each side of the condenser.

ln the lower parts of thc frames E are the bearings for the crank-shafts F, which are revolved by thc piston-rods Gr of the cylinders D.

A steam-chest, H, is secured alongside of each cylinder D, as is clearly shown in tig. 2.

The steam enters the steam-chest H through pipes a a., and the exhaust steam escapes from the cylinders through pipes b, which conduct it into the upper part of the condenser.

A centrifugal pump, M, is employed to inject cold water into the condensers, the same being worked by any suitable mechanism, but, preferably, by a donkeyengine.

lhc products of condensation are collected in a channel, N, that extends longitudinally under. the condenser.

An air-pump, O, the piston of which is connected with a rook-shaft, P, serves to withdraw the condensed water from the channel N, and to convey it through a' pipe, i, to a fresh-water tank, or other suitable receptacle. The rock-shaft l) has a crank, j,\vhich is, by means of a rod, l, connected with a crank of one of the shafts ll, as shown infig. 3. The rock-shaft receives its motion, therefore, directly from one of the shafts F, and conveys it to the air-pump. v

The valve-gear is best shown iufigs. l and 3. For cach slide-valve the respective shaft F has two eccentrics, in and n, which work in the lower ends of rods p and q respectively. i

'lhc upper ends of those rods are connected with thc opposite cnds of a slotted plate, S. rlhe slot of this plate is curved on an arc of a circle, described from the axis of the shaft F as center.

.lhc valve-rod r is, by means of' a link, s, connected with the outer end of a lever, It, which is at the oppositcend pivoted to braces lv'of the frame E.

From thc middle of the lever R projects a pin, t, which tits loosely' through a block,'n, that is held in the slotted plate S, so that lcverp or q, which is brought entirely or nearly in liuc with the piu t, will produce the desired motion of thc slide-valve. Then thc plate S is shifted to carry the block n to its other end, the lever p or q, which was formerly idle, will be brought into action, and rico rcrsd.` The engines are thereby reversed.

The reversing-gear consists of a rock-shaft, T, hung in the braces c, and provided with a crank, u', which,

by means of n link, x, is connected with the middle of the plete S, as shown. \Vhile the engine is in action the reversing-geur will have no effect et all upon the operation of the valve-gear, as the joint-cd, arms w x 0f the same permit entirely free motion of the plete S.

'lhe1mwe1'of the crank-shaft F is applied to the middle ol the lever R, while it is transferred to the valve-stem by the end of said lever. The intion required to operate the valve is thus half that produced, and ns much less room is consequently taken up by the mechanism.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 'Patent- '1. 'lhe rock-shaft P, for operating the :tir-pump,

when connected, by means of e link, Z, with the rcvolv J. ERICSSON.

Witnesses:

S. W'. TAYLOR, WM. F. MCNAMARA. 

